Volleyball set to play two spring matches

PULLMAN, Wash. - Getting back on the court for the first time since their program record sixth-straight trip to NCAA Tournament in December the Cougars have scheduled a pair of spring matches that will pit them against some familiar faces while playing at neutral sites around the area. The Cougs will play twice against Boise State (April 10) and Oregon State (April 23).

Volleyball begins its brief spring campaign Sunday, April 10 against Boise State. The two tournament teams from the fall season will match up in an open exhibition, free to the public, at Payette Lakes Middle School in McCall, Idaho. The match is set to begin at 10:30 a.m.

While the two teams did not meet last season both the Cougs and the Broncos played their way into the postseason with WSU advancing to the second round of action in Waco, Texas while Boise State fell in the opening round at BYU. In both cases, the two sides each finished the 2021 fall season with 20+ wins. The last time the Cougs and the Broncos faced off was in 2008 at Boise State. In the regular season the Cougs have won the last six against the Broncos and hold an 11-3 overall record.

The second match of the spring will be a Pac-12 showdown as the Cougs take on the Beavers of Oregon State, Saturday, April 23. The two teams will meet at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. at 6:30 p.m., once again open to the public.

In the fall the Cougs came away with a sweep of the Beavers, taking a pair of 3-0 wins in both Corvallis and Pullman. In all, WSU has swept OSU in three-straight matches and is riding a seven-match winning streak in the regular season against their PNW rival. In their most recent match in Pullman on Nov. 21 the Cougs held the Beavers to .125 hitting while recording an impressive 14 team blocks in the match.

Overall, the Cougs finished the 2021 fall season 20-12 overall and finished tied for fourth in the Pac-12 with a 13-7 conference record. The 13 wins in Pac-12 play were the most for the Cougs under head coach Jen Greeny, the 2021 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year.